A great marriage is like a great fitness plan

It requires work, discipline, and constant feedback.

Work

The couch potato metaphor is used often when explaining the effectiveness of starting any fitness routine. It implies that no one has ever gotten in great shape by sitting on the sofa. It takes work, and it is that work over time that produces amazing results.

It must also be challenging. That the at the work that we put in provides a challenge of some kind. It requires us to push beyond the boundaries of comfort but not so much that it destroys us. Improved fitness is weird like that, you have to push yourself harder and put yourself in uncomfortable situations weekly if you want to see results.

A great marriage takes work, it doesn’t just happen. Think about it as the work of love. You have to build it from the ground up. From Couch Potato to Runner for marriages. It requires immense discipline to stay on track but if you stay the course your marriage will be fitter and happier for it.

Discipline

Discipline requires constant effort. From day to day, week to week, and month to month. We must provide ourselves an opportunity to see it through. Discipline gives us that chance.

To do that we must use discipline as the bridge for making the goal of a great marriage a reality. In physical training, it is my belief that long term consistency trumps short term intensity. In marriage, discipline provides the key to a successful relationship long term if effort is constantly displayed by both husband and wife.

Constant feedback

With exercise, we acknowledge that on paper we can produce the most amazing fitness program for you. But in actuality, the body will sometimes say otherwise. And without constant feedback, we would never know what we were doing is working or not.

We can do that in many different ways but to each their own. For my wife and I, it’s taking a Sunday walk around the neighborhood and asking each other what worked this week? What were some of our toughest moments, and what were some of our happier moments? The other person listens, offers input, and empathizes. Having someone to talk helps us not feel alone in our situation.

We also see a marriage counselor for no other reason than to see one to get a fresh, non-biased perspective on our marriage. Not because our marriage is failing but because we’re proactive. That takes a lot of humility.

Conclusion

In marriage, communication is the vehicle for work, discipline, and constant feedback. We believe that the quality of our lives depends on the quality of our communication. In treating our marriage like a well thought out fitness plan has made our marriage healthier and fitter.

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